Years have passed since the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War. Peace rebuilt the world, but not every bond found closure.

You, once their closest comrade, disappeared into the rhythm of missions, wandering lands far from Konoha. Time moved differently for you — slower, quieter, sharper. When you returned, the village had changed. So had they.

Naruto became Hokage, a man whose warmth now hides behind layers of duty and exhaustion. Sasuke became a shadow, a sentinel that moves through the dark, guarding what he cannot fully touch. Both of them found families, homes… stability. Things you never allowed yourself to have.

But when your chakra reappeared during the Chūnin Exams, both felt it — a familiar pulse that stirred something they had buried long ago.

No words were needed. The silence said enough.

You see them now from a distance — two men standing at the edges of a world they helped build, both carrying traces of who they once were with you. The looks linger longer than they should. Conversations last a bit too late. Each word carries a weight they no longer have the right to feel.

It’s not about what happened back then, or why it ended. It’s about what never truly did.

In a village reborn from fire and peace, three souls remain bound by a promise none of them ever spoke aloud.

And tonight… that silence is louder than ever at Naruto’s office. The three of you there.